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Simply Said Reading Accessories

Our Mission

My main goal is to provide you and your business with elegant ways in representing your work. Sure business cards and fliers are fine to give to customers and potential clients; however give them a complimentary item that will not end up in the nearest trash can.

Think Pink Month

Saturday, March 31, 2018

A gate slams shut, sending a jolt of reality through seventeen-year-old Jayson Jackson's entire body. As an officer pats him down, Jayson secretly hopes that tomorrow, when he turns eighteen, his life will finally be his own. But he knows it will not be easy. Two years ago, he accidentally shot his best friend. Once again, Jayson is the victim of stolen opportunities.

Now left helpless as he awaits a judges decision to either let him walk free or give him a sentence that could land him in a correctional facility for a long time, Jayson reflects on the friendship he once shared with Michael-Stephens all-star athlete, high school scholar, and aspiring singer. On the surface, Michael, also known as Mr. Basketball, appeared to have it all. But no one but Jayson knew that he and Michael shared a powerful kinship created through similar childhood tragedies. Now with the help of his grandmother and his uncle Scott, Jayson must learn to reconcile his past in order to move forward with his future.

Gifted and phenomenal, T.L. CRISWELL's creative writing style gives life to her belief that what you put out into the universe determine your destiny. She is very passionate about living a happy and well-balanced life, which is reflective in her writings, often described as authentic, witty, humorous, and poignant. With an inspired desire for self-expression, Criswell is a spiritual person, as well as a freethinker who has been writing poetry and short stories since she was a young girl.

At the age of 40 years old, with the help of a co-worker/teacher; Mr. Ben Smith, T.L. Criswell was able to find her literary voice. He would ultimately become her mentor, writing coach and dear friend.

"I view my role as that of a coach of a talented athlete or performer. She, however, she is the star who puts in many long hours of work." One of my tasks is to help extract as much talent and potential from her as I can." ~Ben Smith

Acknowledging her ability to write reality-based themes, she captures the struggles of everyday people and is able to reach and touch the lives of so many.

"THE PEACEMAKER," her debut novel inspired from her phenomenal poem 'Stolen Opportunities,' which she self published in 2008, is a remarkable display of her passion and dedication to the well-being of children, humbly expressed through her gifted writings and poetry.

Her sophomore novel, "PEACE ON THAT: THE PEACEMAKER II," was released in September 2015 and opened to strong reviews...

"A historically detailed, emotionally rich story of three generations of men dealing with and sometimes evading their duties to one another." ~Kirkus Reviews~

"T. L. Criswell has given us the full throttle of storytelling and has taken readers on a ride of generational honor, dishonor, pride and loyalty." ~Vnae Amazon reviewer~

A native of Inkster, Michigan, born April 28, 1970, Criswell enjoys the support of her loving husband and children where they currently reside in the Detroit Metropolitan area.

Monday, March 19, 2018

If I were
to tell you I wrote a story about a May/December love affair between music and
a saxophone named Her, would you believe me? I didn’t think you would but it’s
true. Music has been here since the dawn of time. It’s been the melody of life,
unfettered, free, and always waiting for us to-dare I say-tame it and guide it
with our voices and with our instruments. The musician may have picked up the
sax and breathed air into Her, but it was from the music, the jazz that was
created, that love was found and where it grew.

Amina Perrin isn’t looking for love. In fact, she isn’t looking for anything.
She’s got her yoga, her massage therapy and the community she serves, keeping
her plenty busy. That is until she bumps into a stranger who may change her
free-spirited mind.

Gabriel Slade is living the good life. Financially secure, nice condo
overlooking the city, and the occasional “drink” with a beautiful woman—he has
no intention on getting caught up, especially not with one so much younger than
him, but here he is… getting all caught up and picking up a long forgotten
saxophone he calls Her.

If you’re opposed to sweltering love scenes between two passionate adults, this
book isn’t for you.

I sat there
sipping my drink, listening to the music, and tried to clear my head. Maybe it
was the music, maybe it was the whiskey, I don’t know, but the longer I sat
there, the easier it became for me to find my peace. It had been a few days
since I played the sax for Amina, a few days since my heart clenched in my
chest as she walked toward me with her softness and her smile of appreciation.

It was then
that I realized that I had seriously fallen for Amina and not just in a way
that meant I just wanted to have more sex with her. I had gotten comfortable
with having her around all the time. That, in itself, is gargantuan because I
love my lifestyle. I don’t particularly like people in my space. Oh, it’s all
good for a while, a day or two at the most, but then it’s time for you to go.
And don’t try to make yourself comfortable on the low, you know, conveniently
leaving things around the house. That is not cool. I took another sip and
laughed as I remembered the days when I would check the house after my company
would leave and if they left anything, I would have it for them next time I saw
them.

But it
wasn’t like that with Amina and I wondered why?

Why was
everything different with her? Why had I allowed her to take up so much space
in my world? And why am I so happy about it?

“What’s up,
Gabe?”

I looked to
see Russell Harper, the band’s saxophone player, sliding onto the stool beside
me and that was when I realized that the band had finished and were taking a
short break before their next set.

“What’s up,
Harp?”

“Question
is, what’s up with you?”

“Nothing
much.”

Harp shook
his head and said with a chuckle, “We both know that’s a lie.”

I chose not
to comment; mainly because it made no sense and two, I had Amina on my mind.
Instead, I looked toward the door where a beautiful woman was waiting for
Valerie to greet and then seat her. She was wearing an elegant black
one-shoulder, sleeveless dress with an asymmetrical neckline that showed off
her fit body. Bottom line, the woman was fine. She was the type of woman that I
would have stepped to not too long ago.

Without
bothering to ask, Reggie, the bartender took the liberty of freshening up my
drink and putting one in front of Harp.

“Thanks,
Reggie.”

I picked up
my glass and watched as she looked around for Valerie and then her gaze settled
at the bar. We exchanged glances and then she looked around again and then back
to me. She smiled and I nodded my head to acknowledge her beauty before turning
my attention back to my drink. I picked it up and took a sip.

“Wow, who
is she, man?” Harp asked.

“How would
I know? She just walked in.”

Harp looked
at the door. “Not her. She’s in here all the time, a real man-eater, that one.
I’m talking about the one that got you sitting there looking like someone in
love,” he said cleverly including the title of the jazz classic.

I turned
and looked at Harp for a moment before looking away. And again, I remained
silent, drained my glass and signaled for Reggie to pour me another drink.

“What is
that? Is Like Someone in Love the
next song you’re going to play?”

Harp sipped
his drink. “You know, that ain’t a bad idea. Maybe an up-tempo cut of the
Blakey version,” he said nodding his head.

“The Blakey
version is the up-tempo version,” I said, all the while knowing that Harp liked
to go hard on every cut.

“What
subject was that?” I asked, knowing full well what he was talking about.

“I asked
you what woman got you sitting here looking like someone in love. You tried to
avoid my question, unsuccessfully I might add, by referencing the Blakey
classic.”

“Everything
by Blakey is classic.”

“Stop
trying to change the subject.”

I drained
my glass and looked at Harp. “Why it got to be about a woman?”

“Because
everything is about a woman.”

I laughed.
“So, it really is all about them, huh?”

“Yes. When
a man loves a woman, yes. If he loves her, I mean, if he really loves her,”
Harp said with enthusiasm while motioning with his hands. “And he’s smart, he
makes it all about her. You wanna know why?”

“I got a
feeling that you’re about to tell me whether I want you to or not.”

“You’ve got
that right. But here is why; because when she loves her man, the right woman
makes it all about him.”

I stared at
Harp and wondered when he became the voice of experience in the arena of love?
Maybe it was because he was so scarred from the many years of battle. He and
his wife, Lisa have been in a state of war, practically from the day they met,
but he married her anyway. Before he joined the Navy, Harp had been involved
with a woman that he was so in love with. He wanted her to go with him when he
enlisted. But Carol, that was her name, refused to follow him. He left without
her and that is when he met and married Lisa. When he got out and returned to
Pittsburgh, he and Carol resumed their passionate affair and as a result, Carol
ended up pregnant with his daughter, Amara. Their love child.

Needless to
say, when lunatic Lisa found out about it, she lived up to her name and went
ballistic. She terrorized that woman unmercifully, Harp too, for that matter.
She put him on lockdown and forbade him to see the woman or their child. But I
guess it all worked out in the end. After years of being unhappy, but staying
for the sake of his children with Lisa, Harp finally left her and is getting a
divorce. I understand that he’s even developing a relationship with Amara.

But all
that history aside, my question still stood. What made Harp the guy I should
take relationship advice from?

Nothing.

But the
more I thought about his words, the more it made sense. The time that I was
spending with Amina, whether I had done it consciously or not, I had made it
all about her. And you know what? Amina made me feel that. For her, it was all
about me, and that was a great feeling. The best feeling in the world.

“I see your
point, Harp,” I said and noticed that the man-eater had taken a seat at the bar
directly across from me. She smiled and raised her glass when I made eye
contact with her.

“Looks like
you’re her prey tonight,” Harp said and finished his drink. “Be careful, I hear
her claws are sharp, but she’s worth the price of admission.” He stood up.
“Good to see you, Gabe. Maybe you should stop by and jump in on a set or two.
Bring the one who has you all in knots when you come.”

“I just
might do that,” I said, eyeing the woman across from me. She was beautiful, and
I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off of her but I soon realized it was because
her eyes reminded me of Amina’s. Exotic and intense.

I looked at
my watch. It was just after eight and Amina should be through with her client
and on her way home by now. It wasn’t like we had made any arrangement to get
together later or that it was something that was expected of me. It was just
that I wanted nothing more than to be with her. Not just having sex with her,
but just being with her.

Aja is the
writer of sensually erotic women’s fiction. Her stories allow readers to
experience realistic, inspiring and soulful interactions between her characters
and intense passion between couples overcoming life’s challenges.Raised as an only child, using her
imagination to create stories came naturally to her. Writing her first book in
the first grade encouraged her doting and supportive mother to enter her into
writing contests to help her hone her craft. Inspired by soulful music and sensual
art, she crafts her stories on a whim, using the snatches of time her
characters grace her with and stringing them together for completion. She loves
prose but has been known to be poetic which can be found, if looking, in some
of her published work.With two published series of books
already, including the Unexpected series penned with Roy Glenn, she is working
on several projects including Love’s Required and Good Old Soul, a soulful
May/December romance.

Saturday, February 4, 2017

Hello 2017!
Please forgive my negligence to my blog. Life happens and things fall down the list of things to do. I've missed chatting with you. So.... I will be more attentive to you in 2017! I've got a lot of ideas in my head and I will be asking you followers for feedback on what you want. I want to know what you think and want in several areas, so I will start with this quick survey. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CMTXLPY
I'm entertaining a few new project and additions and these questions will give me some general answers, but there will be more questions to come to narrow down my efforts to give my followers and supports just what they want! Please take this short survey. Thank you, I am SOOOOO BACK!

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

"Johnson is a skilled storyteller with a breezy style, and the journey of Felicia, a strong African American woman, will have particular appeal for Terry McMillan fans." -Booklist

Felicia Lyons, a ­­­­­­­ stressed out stay-at-home mom struggles to sprint ahead of the demands of motherhood while her husband spends long days at the office. Felicia taps, utters mantra, and breathes her way through most situations but on some days, like when the children won’t stop screaming her name or arguing over toy trucks and pretzel sticks, she wonders what it would be like to get in her car and drive away.

Then one evening the telephone rings, and in a split second the harried mother’s innocent fantasy becomes a hellish reality. The call pulls her back into a life she’d rather forget. Felicia hasn’t been completely honest about her upbringing, and her deception forces her return to the Philadelphia of her childhood, where she must confront the family demons and long buried secrets she thought she had left behind.

From a phenomenal fresh voice in fiction, comes the compelling story of what happens when the dream falls apart. It’s the unforgettable tale of love, loss, rediscovery, and the growing pains of marriage.

SADEQA JOHNSONis a former public relations manager who spent years working with well-known authors such as J.K. Rowling, Bebe Moore Campbell, Amy Tan and Bishop T.D. Jakes before becoming an author herself. Her debut novel, Love in a Carry-On Bag was hailed by Ebony.com as “this summer’s hottest read.” It was the recipient of the 2013 Phillis Wheatley award for Best Fiction and the 2012 USA Best Book award for African-Americanfiction.Originally from Philadelphia, Sadeqa Johnson currently resides in Virginia with her husband and three children.Second House from the Corner is her second novel.

releases TA-Day!!

Y'all click that link and support her 25th year in the business. She is also releasingMurder in the Aislesunder her alter ego name, Olivia Hill, Pre-order on November 8th.

Also I will be at Sharon Lucas' event in Bowie Maryland for The Reading Divasevent, October 16 and 17th. I LOVEEEEE this event and The Reading Divas and I will be HONORING Donna Hill's 25th Anniversary, I hope to see you there! Sharon always give a FANTASTIC event and has recently become an AUTHOR!!!! Her book, Plan It will be released at her event as well! I am so excited and proud of my Brown Girl!! She is published under Brown Girls Publications, withe ReShonda Tate Billingsley and Victoria Christopher Murray.

Eric Jerome Dickey is my favorite male author is releasing the sequel to Naughty or Nice

Naughtier than Nice... OMG I LOVED THIS BOOK, on October 27th. I've ONLY waited since 2004 for the sequel....

Last but not least, my new fiend and supporter Latoya Murchison, has a great book out named, A Praying Heart. It will really touch your heart and your soul. Please leave her a review to inspire her to Keep Going.

I wanted meatier
questions; questions that were open ended and lead into a deeper conversation,
a real LitVersation! So I created the questions I wanted. 70 questions to get
the LitVersation started!

These questions open up refreshing dialogue with new
and interesting perspectives.

A fun
interactive ice breaker

Helps
others understand other interpretations of the story

Promotes
richer exchanges and inspires thought

Great
for authors to take along to gatherings

Great
gift for book lovers and book clubs

Helps discussions stay on
track and active

Great for ages

Book Lovers

Even if you don't belong to a book club or discussion group, you will still enjoy these questions, in analyzing your thoughts and feelings about the books you read! They also help in outlining your book reviews and comments you'd like to share in your social media circles or comments to the author.

Book clubs

Take your book club discussions to a
whole new level with this fun and interactive game that lets everyone come away
satisfied about truly discussing a book.

Authors

These cards are great to take along when visiting book clubs, just in
case the conversation get a little slow, and they make a wonderful gift to the
book club. Also I know some authors say how hard it is to write discussion
questions about your books, these questions can aide you in creating some
thought provoking questions.

Reviewers, Bloggers and
InterviewersSpice
up your posts and interviews with some fresh questions that will get people
talking and commenting. Open ended questions are a great way to get your
followers to talk back to you

Teachers

In researching I chose two teachers to test these game cards. Each teacher (Middle and High School) used the cards to either have a discussion in class about a book they read or they were used as homework questions and the feedback I got back was inspiring! The students really got into a great discussion and a much better concept of the story and structure of creative writing.

Contact Us For More Information

Hello, my name is Debra Owsley and my company is Simply Said Reading Accessories. I custom design and hand make reading accessories such as “Gift Marks” also known as Bookmarks, Book Thongs, Book Plates and note cards that I call Love Notes; for Authors Book Stores Book Clubs and Book Lovers.

This is what I do, but…it’s all about youI have been perfecting my craft for a little over 4 years as a specialty service. As an avid reader, I had to find a way to support my “Book Habit”; I have always been crafty and made some for my clients one year for Christmas, I am a hair stylist, and they encouraged me to pursue this as a business.

I also have a client who is an author and she commissioned me to custom some for her, thus the Authors Custom Work came in. I attend several major book events a year and I can proudly say that my work is appreciated by some of the finest authors, in the industry.

Book lovers can enjoy my work too! Check out my booklovers gift shop to view pre-designed selections. I love to create and make the “Giftmarks”, and Book Thongs. I have hundreds of different designs, all have wonderful quotes, sayings, or phases that speaks to you. View the catalogs here.